Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), visited imprisoned Kurdish politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Selçuk Mızraklı in Edirne Prison before his planned tour of the Kurdish-populated regions of the country.
This visit comes amid renewed discussions of a potential peace process in Turkey. Speculation around a new initiative was sparked after Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key ally of the government, unexpectedly approached pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party co-leader Tuncer Bakırhan and shaking his hand during the Oct 1 opening of parliament.
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The talks between the CHP delegation, including MPs Veli Ağbaba and Sezgin Tanrıkulu alongside Özel, and the Kurdish politicians lasted around three hours.
Speaking to reporters outside the prison following the meetings, Özel said, “It’s shameful that we had to meet under these circumstances. Both were removed from their positions after an unjust operation."
Demirtaş was imprisoned on “terror” charges in 2016, when he was the co-leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the predecessor of the DEM and wasn’t released despite a 2020 decision by the ECtHR Grand Chamber. Mızraklı, who was elected the mayor of the Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakır in the 2019 elections, was stripped of his position and eventually imprisoned on “terror” charges in Oct 2019. He is currently Demirtaş’s cellmate.
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Visiting the Kurdish-populated region without meeting Demirtaş would have been meaningless, said Özel, underlining that he is an important actor for the democratization.
He added that they discussed the developments following the Bahçeli-Bakırhan handshake, the parliament’s role in a potential peace process, as well as the country’s economic challenges.
Özel will embark on his tour tomorrow, starting from Diyarbakır. He’ll then visit Batman, Mardin, Şırnak, Hakkari and Van.
'The functioning of the state continues arbitrarily'
Demirtaş released a statement separately through his attorneys, thanking Özel for his visit.
“Political channels in Turkey have been blocked for many years. The functioning of the state continues arbitrarily, with fait accompli decisions and practices that violate the Constitution,” read the statement. “If the process that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan refers to as ‘normalization and easing’ is to become concrete and grounded in reality, the first step must be to respect the rule of law in every area.
“Without this, political channels will not reopen, and the groundwork for normalization will not be established. The solution to Turkey's problems lies in politics, and the institution for solving them is the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). During Mr. Özel's visit, we had the opportunity to exchange views on these matters.
“I also emphasized the importance of politics playing a role in solving Turkey’s fundamental issues, as well as the significance of dialogue and cooperation. I stated that in order for the handshake ceremony to have a lasting impact, politics must be given a chance.”
Demirtaş also called for the release of the Kurdish political prisoners, especially those imprisoned in the Kobanî trial. (VK)
